When a Brother Falls

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

(Galatians 6:1 ESV)

 

It’s not uncommon for a fellow believer to fall into sin. It’s not uncommon for a fellow believer to turn from his faith and to walk in unrepentance. We read stories about such people in the news. And, sadly, we witness this even in our own congregations.

 

But how do we respond in the face of this reality? How do we respond when a brother in Christ falls into sin? How do we respond when a sister in Christ is caught in sin?

 

For most of us, I believe, the answer is plain. When this happens, we tend to respond by condemning the fallen. We tend to respond by looking down our nose at them. We tend to respond by cutting all ties and disassociating from them.

 

However, in the above verse, Paul calls us to a different response. He calls upon us, not to shun them, but to restore them. We are to seek their repentance and for them to receive, once again, the grace of God.

 

Jesus describes this in detail in Matthew 18:15-20. I won’t get into this now. But I encourage you to read it and to meditate upon it.

 

We’re to restore them in a spirit of gentleness, Paul tells us. In other words, this isn’t to be conducted in a messy way. Nor is it to be mean spirited or combative.

 

This flows from our love for our fellow believer. We do not want them to suffer the deserved wrath for their sin. We want them, instead, to receive the undeserved blessing of God, provided by Jesus on the cross.

 

However, that being said, he also tells us to keep watch on ourselves. We’re to do so lest we ourselves be tempted. We’re to so lest we, ourselves, be lured into sin.

 

While seeking the restoration of another, while correcting another, we must take care that we do not become prideful. We must never begin to think that we are greater than the person who has fallen. And we must never think that we’re incapable of falling into the same sin.

 

And not only is that true. As we seek the restoration of our brother or sister in Christ, we must take care that we are not caught up in the same sin. We must take care that we do not fall into the same behavior. We must ensure that we do not begin to justify this sinful pattern as they have. No matter how mature in faith we may be, we are not above any sinful practice.